KotkAniemi the Centre Attention
Saku Koivu warned Jesperi Kotkaniemi that things can be pretty crazy in Montreal and the 18-yearold Finn had a taste of that craziness Thursday as Canadiens rookie camp opened in Brossard.
After two hours on the ice and a 40-minute dry-land session, Kotkaniemi was confronted by the Montreal media. He was surrounded by about two dozen media types, including six cameramen.
He’s the centre of attention at this camp, after the Canadiens selected him third overall in the NHL entry draft in June. The Canadiens seemed to depart from their normal policy of drafting the best player available to address a need for strength up the middle.
The folks who make a living out of analyzing draft picks suggested Montreal left some NHL-ready players on the board to select Kotkaniemi. But the teenager seems determined to prove the naysayers wrong.
“I want to play in the NHL, that’s my dream,” Kotkaniemi said. “I’m here to give what I have.”
It might be too much to expect that Kotkaniemi will be able to make the jump from Finland’s Liiga to the NHL this season, but he looked comfortable in his first workout and he’ll get a chance to showcase his skills Friday night when the Canadiens meet the Ottawa Senators in the first game of the Rookie Showdown at Place Bell in Laval (7 p.m. TSN-690 Radio).
Kotkaniemi has a skating style all his own and that’s a concern because he’s often hunched over and doesn’t produce power from his legs. But he didn’t have any trouble winning battles along the boards in 3-on-3 situations on Thursday and showed his ability to see the ice and make the right play, whether it was to feed a teammates or fire on net.
He has the advantage of having played some games this summer with Assat in his hometown of Pori. In the team’s first four preseason games, Kotkaniemi led the team with five points. He played at centre after playing most of last season as a winger.
While Kotkaniemi’s goal is to be in the Canadiens’ lineup when the season opens on Oct. 3 in Toronto, there were questions Thursday about his options if he isn’t an instant hit in the NHL.
He could go back to Assat or he could stay here and play for the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ American Hockey League farm club.
Assat would offer him the chance to play against older and more experienced players and there’s a certain comfort level because the team is coached by his father, Mikael.
But playing in the AHL would help Kotkaniemi adjust to the smaller North American ice surface, where there is more contact and payers are forced to make quicker decisions. The Canadiens would be better able to monitor Kotkaniemi’s progress and when they feel he’s ready for prime time, he’s only a métro ride away.
“Both options would be good, but I haven’t thought too much about them,” Kotkaniemi said.
The Rookie Showdown continues through the weekend when Ottawa meets Toronto Saturday at 3 p.m., while the Habs and Maple Leafs wrap things up Sunday at 3 p.m.